FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Burn After Reading [DVD] [2008]

Burn After Reading [DVD] [2008]
enlarge	Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Actors: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton Studio: Universal Pictures UK Category: DVD List Price: ~~£19.99~~ Buy New: £3.96 as of 21/11/2009 03:40 GMT details You Save: £16.03 (80%) New (27) Used (17) Collectible (1) from £2.48 Seller: Emily2803 Rating: 125 reviews Sales Rank: 311 Format: PAL Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 92 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.5 EAN: 5050582597264 ASIN: B001G0N22G Theatrical Release Date: 2008 Release Date: February 9, 2009 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review After the dark brilliance of emNo Country for Old Men, Burn After Reading/em may seem like a trifle, but few filmmakers elevate the trivial to art quite like Joel and Ethan Coen. Inspired by Stansfield Turner's emBurn Before Reading/em, the comically convoluted plot clicks into gear when the CIA gives analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) the boot. Little does Cox know his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton, riffing on her Michael Clayton character), is seeing married federal marshal Harry (George Clooney, Swinton's Clayton co-star, playing off his Syriana role). To get back at the Agency, Cox works on his memoirs. Through a twist of fate, fitness club workers Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt in a pompadour that recalls Johnny Suede) find the disc and try to wrangle a "Samaratin tax" out of the surly alcoholic. An avid Internet dater, Linda plans to use the money for plastic surgery, oblivious that her manager, Ted (emThe Visitor's /emRichard Jenkins), likes her just the way she is. Though it sounds like a Beltway remake of emThe Big Lebowski/em, the Coen entry it most closely resembles, this time the brothers concentrate their energies on the myriad insecurities endemic to the mid-life crisis--with the exception of Chad, who's too dense to share such concerns, leading to the funniest performance of Pitt's career. If emLebowski /emrepresented the Coen's unique approach to film noir, emBurn /emsees them putting their irresistibly absurdist stamp on paranoid thrillers from emEnemy of the State/em to emThe Bourne Identity/em. --emKathleen C. Fennessy/em

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 125 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...25 Next » The humour is in the tragedy/farce as it plays out between the characters February 16, 2009 Joe Lafferty 36 out of 48 found this review helpful This is a Coen brothers movie, and one of their comedies, so: br / br /1. don't expect any jokes - the humour is in the tragedy/farce as it plays out between the characters br /2. don't expect a simple, linear, story-line with a happy ending - the whole theme of the movie, as many of their movies, is the futility of life in a post modern world. br / br /I won't go over a précis of the movie, as other reviewers have done this, suffice to say that the movie is a mix of a man in personal meltdown (John Malkovich is superb): career, marriage, personal life - striving for some sense of meaning and that he has made a difference - with overwhelming feelings of rejection and being cast aside by the system, in a loveless marriage with the calculating, freezingly cold yet trapped (Tilda Swinton). The first interaction between them is her saying `Did you find Jesus?' which causes a double take from Malkovich - then she explains, did you get the cheeses... and humiliates him further for his ineptitude. br / br /The other key characters are George Cloony as a narcissistic dilettante/womaniser (Cloony - who is often brilliant in Coen Brothers movies, he is just so willing to send himself up), an air head personal trainer (Brad Pitt - who also does a great job of sending himself up in this movie), and Frances McDormand who plays a tragic character who becomes convinced that cosmetic surgery will lead to love and happiness. And will do anything to get the surgery... br / br /It's like watching a car crash in slow motion... you just know it's going to turn out bad, and of course it does. It all spirals out of control with a hapless 'intelligence' agency looking on trying to figure out what to do with what seems to be unfolding. br / br /Brilliant. Brilliant! November 10, 2008 KM (England) 45 out of 63 found this review helpful `Burn After Reading' is the new black comedy from the Coen Brothers where two gym workers find a CD which has a CIA agent's memoirs containing top secret information. To help them both through their financial difficulties they decide to then blackmail the agent for cash. br / br /I'm a big fan of the Coen brothers other films such as No Country For Old Men, Fargo, Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, to name a few, and this one is by far one of the best. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from it after all of the mixed reviews it had gotten, but when I finished watching this film I got the refreshed feeling I usually get from their movies and thought that this was an instant classic. br / br /As well as the excellent script, production and direction, the acting is easily some of the best that I've seen from the actors in this movie. Brad Pitt, George Clooney and John Malkovich all deserve award nominations for their performances in this as they were nothing short of spectacular. br / br /This film has enough comedy, suspense and drama to please most film watchers and I highly recommend this to anyone. Definitely one of the best films of 2008 and one that I'll be buying as soon as it comes out. br / br / Pitch- perfect black comedy. September 21, 2009 Guy Mannering (Maidenhead, England) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful How does dim-witted gym instructress Frances McDormand, aided and abetted by an equally dim and hilarious Brad Pitt, find $35,000 for a load of plastic surgery that you know will make absolutely no difference to her hapless existence? Watch this pitch-perfect black comedy and find out. The cast is faultless and the Coen brothers manage to deliver a couple of bloody shocks that will leave you not knowing whether to gasp or laugh. The final scene in which an embarassed CIA official (who little realises he has set in motion the chain of events by firing John Malkovich) gives an account of the inexplicable mayhem to his world-weary boss is, for me, a classic. If you are a coen brothers fan it's a no-brainer... February 17, 2009 Birxy (Belbroughton, UK) 3 out of 4 found this review helpful In my mind at least, the Coen brothers can do no wrong. br / br /Great all-star cast, superb script, fantastic supporting cast (Swinton's divorce lawyer is a delicious piece of biting satire delivered impeccably). br / br /Loved it. Watched it twice already and funnier the second time around. Typical Coen Bros cinematography (echoes of Hudsucker Proxy in some) and some original shots (Clooney Pitt talking at the restaurant window with reflected street scene was nice). br / br /I could watch a Coen Brothers film every week. Just great. But I'm a dedicated follower... BURN AFTER READING March 9, 2009 Splendido 3 out of 4 found this review helpful Finally got to see the film start to finish having failed twice on a long-haul flight. Really good film with a quality cast and top performances. Brad Pitt really shines as a comedy actor helped along by a great storyline and typical Coen Bros script. Great stuff! Showing reviews 1-5 of 125 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...25 Next »

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